Angels also won the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes last week, a rare player that is both a starter in both pitching and outfielder, and capably show, with his history and results from Japan as a two-way player, Angels optioning for a six-man rotation because of his presence.

MLB has a crap-ton more parity than the NFL. The Astros and Royals have won the WS in the last three years, both small-market, low/moderate spending teams with awful history. In the last decade, 7 different teams have gone to the WS from the AL, and 6 from the NL.

In the NFL, in the last 15 seasons we've had one Superbowl that didn't feature Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, or Peyton Manning.

The Marlins are an unfunny joke but they don't represent the league on the whole. Most of the worst teams in MLB right now have been to a World Series fairly recently - the Phillies, Rays, and Giants have all gone in the last decade.

The Red Sox, Yankees, and Dodgers, for all the kvetching about their spending, have combined for 3 World Series appearances in the last decade.

The parity thing don't hold up anymore just because the Marlins are run like a ponzi scheme.

NYBF wrote:Thinking that dumping your best player for absolutely nothing is a better idea than trying to build around him.

I agree with your thinking with maybe 10 teams or so in the league, but realistically, do you think the Marlins would ever "build around him?"

The Angels are trying to build around Trout, but so far, it aint working. The Marlins won't utilize the resources (money) to build around Stanton which is why I think it is smart to sell high.

I do get your point, but with this team, it just aint gonna happen.

I agree they should have sold high. Unfortunately, the sold as low as you possibly could without an investigation for conspiracy to have Jeter sell a league MVP to the Yankees for a sack of stale pretzels.

If the Marlins have a single fan after they are done with this fire sale, that person should be sent to MIT for a genome analysis so we can discern the idiot gene.

MIAMI -- Derek Jeter held a town hall Tuesday night with about 200 Miami Marlins season-ticket holders, many of whom were angry about the direction of the team under his ownership group.

Some fans said they were upset about the way the payroll has been slashed and the team's biggest stars have been traded away. Some wore Giancarlo Stanton's jersey, honoring the National League MVP who was traded to the Yankees 10 days ago. Another shouted that Jeter spent "$1.2 billion and then ran out of money."

One broke down in tears as she asked why the Marlins let go of Stanton, Marcell Ozuna and Dee Gordon.

"I can't sit here and say trust me," Jeter told the fans, who were invited to attend the first in a series of town halls. "You don't know me. You earn trust over time. I know how organizations are sustainable over time. I know you have been through a lot. I can't relate to it. It's going to be a tough road. It's going to take time and effort."

Jeter calmly answered questions for 90 minutes. Asked if the team got enough in return for Stanton, he pointed out that they got $265 million of relief that will give them the flexibility to do what they want to do.

One of the most memorable exchanges was with Laurence Leavy, known to fans as Marlins Man. Leavy, famous for his orange Marlins jacket and his seat behind home plate, said he has been a season-ticket holder since 1993 and hasn't renewed because he won't pay major league prices for "a Triple-A team."

Jeter earned a laugh from the crowd when he told Leavy, "I'll let you throw out the first pitch with a 10-year plan."

The Marlins haven't had a winning season since 2009 and went 77-85 this year, but several fans argued that the team was only a couple of starting pitchers shy of contending and Jeter's group should have added talent instead of dismantling.

"You can't throw money at a problem and dig a bigger and bigger hole and not have any depth in the organization,'' Jeter said. "You have to build from the bottom up.

"I hear your pain. I know you've been through a lot. But we're trying to build something that is sustainable, and this is the only way to do it.''

The rookie owner disputed the impression that his group is underfinanced after buying the team for $1.2 billion. One fan said the dismantling leaves that impression and expressed frustration with Jeter's talk about improving the spectator experience.

"You act like you ran out of money,'' the fan said. "You're not going to win here with dancing girls. You're going to win with ballplayers who know how to win. The fans are alienated. They're upset. That's what you're dealing with here.''

Although Jeter has said he'll oversee both baseball and business operations, it's unclear to what degree he'll be a hands-on owner. With Stanton gone, he becomes the face of the franchise by default, but he has seemed reluctant to embrace that role.

When one fan told Jeter that she emailed her complaints to him, he recoiled in alarm.

"You don't have my email address,'' he said.

Jeter said the franchise lost too many games and too much money under previous owner Jeffrey Loria. He said it was not acceptable that they haven't made the playoffs since 2003. He was asked several times when the team planned to begin spending money again.

mightyleemoon wrote:They pick up Cain AND Yelich. I guess they're going to switch to the 4 man outfield in 2018. (Or maybe they'll find a way to dump Braun.)

Who's the 4th guy

If I were managing them: Braun.

Well, actually, I would move Braun to bench and spell outfielders/Thames for days off while going everyday outfield Cain/Yelich/Santana. But, both Broxton and Phillips are worthy of a spot. So, who knows what they'll do. I'm guessing they'll clear the logjam with one of them as a chip in a pitcher deal.

The Cleveland Indians will stop using the Chief Wahoo logo on their uniforms beginning in 2019, according to Major League Baseball, which said the popular symbol was no longer appropriate for use on the field.

NYBF wrote:The Cleveland Indians will stop using the Chief Wahoo logo on their uniforms beginning in 2019, according to Major League Baseball, which said the popular symbol was no longer appropriate for use on the field.